A new training facility, The Academy, has been launched this week following a significant investment by pub company Punch, supported by industry brand owners.
Based in its support centre in Burton upon Trent, The Academy features a food development kitchen and a fully-equipped bar and training cellar, ensuring every aspect of operating a pub can be delivered on the site. The Academy also has a 300-seater conference room with full AV, theatre and table seating.
Attendees will gain hands-on experience in a fully functioning pub. The bar has the most popular brands, including cask, extra cold, extensive premium spirits range and coffee. Each trainee will take part in creating the perfect serve for all products, including specialist spirits and cask conditioned ales.
The cellar will enable the publicans to get the best experience in an actual cellar, ensuring their beer is maintained and served perfectly from the moment they take on their pub.
‘Industry-leading facility’
Clive Chesser, Punch’s new chief executive, said: “To ensure our new and current publicans get the best training support available, we have developed this industry-leading facility. Whether they are starting out in their first pub business or building on their expertise, they can do that using the most innovative training environment around, helping them create great pubs which we all love.”
Punch provides a range of different courses at The Academy for its publicans and offers online training, too. More courses are being developed with brand partners such as Cask Marque, Sky, Diageo and Vianet.
Clive said: “Providing the most innovative training facility for our publicans will unlock more possibilities for them and their pubs. We are all extremely excited about seeing what this supercharged facility can do for all the people who put their heart and soul into running pubs with us.”
